]]>Auburn University has updated and expanded the biometric identity system it uses to secure areas within its athletic facilities.

Princeton Identity’s new IDS software and Access200 iris readers allow student-athletes, coaches and other affiliated team members enrolled in the system to unlock the doors to team locker rooms by glancing at small reader panels mounted outside each entrance, according to an announcement.

As athletes and coaches rarely carry personal items with them onto the field, the Princeton Identity system eliminates the need for access control cards, fobs, or PIN codes, which can be difficult to manually enter when carrying equipment. It also increases security.

Biometric credentials make it impossible for students to share cards or codes with others, while the system’s convenience factor reduces the desire for students to leave doors propped open for easier access.

“We are honored to have Auburn University as a long-term partner and customer,” says Jeff Kohler, business development director at Princeton Identity. “Their adoption of Princeton Identity’s technology demonstrates a team committed to offering both security and convenience to its student-athletes and staff members.”

The new IDS software is browser-based, providing greater flexibility to school administrators responsible for enrolling students and managing the system. The system’s Access200e enrollment camera is a stand-alone unit that can be plugged into any network jack without need for special software or drivers, allowing enrollment to occur from any web-enabled device, including tablets and laptops.

Permissions are handled through integration with the university’s Lenel OnGuard access control system. When students leave a team or graduate, their permissions are turned off. However, as iris signatures remain stable over time if students or staff return to the program — even years later — there is no need for re-enrollment. Their permissions are simply reactivated.

System configuration, management and monitoring of the IDS system is handled through a web-based dashboard that provides Auburn’s IT staff with access to all devices, which are spread across multiple buildings on campus.

The installation of new Princeton Identity hardware and software is an upgrade to the university’s legacy Princeton Identity system, which was installed in 2011. Since that time, the system has required almost no maintenance. The new platform offers faster processing, a superior software interface, more features and greater flexibility, according to the company.

Older readers will still be supported, allowing the university to preserve the value of earlier investments.

“Reaction to the PI system has been overwhelmingly positive. When we give campus tours to prospective students and their parents, the moms and dads are most impressed with it — especially if they are parents of a female student-athlete,” says the university’s Jeff Steele, associate director of facilities and operations. “They can see that it’s a much stronger system than key or card access.”

]]>Campus Safety, the brand that schools, universities and healthcare facilities have come to know and trust for more than a quarter century, is facing a crossroads of conscience. As many of you know, in recent years there has been a proliferation of door blocking devices hitting the market. The intention of the companies that manufacture these barricades is to save lives by preventing active shooters from entering classrooms or other areas where students, faculty, clinicians or others might be taking shelter.

However, these devices come with risk because they could prevent individuals with disabilities and, under some circumstances, even persons who don’t have any disabilities from evacuating a building during an emergency, such as a fire. That’s why access control and lock experts say these door barricades violate the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) as well as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes. Although some jurisdictions are allowing these products to be adopted for situations requiring lockdown, experts say the risks outweigh the benefits. Multiple experts, organizations and associations have come out against door blocking devices.

Over the past several years, Campus Safety has described in great detail the challenges with these devices in numerous print and online editorials and in sessions at our Campus Safety Conferences, while maintaining strict abidance to our long-standing editorial policy to never endorse a particular product. Our stance has been to lay out as much information as possible and let you, the campus safety experts, make your own product, technology, policy and training choices.

At the same time, Campus Safety has accepted advertising from various door barricade companies.

But our conscience has been stirred to the breaking point, driven by the potential dangers of barricade devices to students, faculty, administrators, clinicians, patients and others. Thus, Campus Safety, with the support of our parent company Emerald Expositions, is publicly choosing to no longer accept advertising or sponsorships from non-ADA and non-NFPA compliant door barricade companies. Quite simply, it is the right thing to do.

ASIS, PASS, DSSF & DHI Applaud CS Policy Change

Campus Safety’s policy change is being applauded by a wide range of campus security experts, associations and other organizations:

“ASIS International School Safety & Security Council appreciates Campus Safety magazine’s and the Campus Safety Conferences’ change in direction regarding dangerous non-code compliant barricade devices. While we know schools are anxious to provide quick solutions for active shooter situations, we must make sure that life safety codes are respected and avoid the potential harm to a student, teacher or anyone else who could be trapped in a classroom against their will without the ability to escape. The Council looks forward to bringing best practices to the readers of Campus Safety.” — Mark J. Berger, Chair, ASIS international School Safety & Security Council

“The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) fully supports the stand Campus Safety magazine and the Campus Safety Conferences are taking on barricade and ‘door-blocker’ devices. We stand with other organizations including the National Association of State Fire Marshals, Safe and Sound Schools, Secure Schools Alliance, Door and Hardware Institute, Door Security and Safety Foundation, Security Industry Association and many more in opposing the deployment of these devices. In addition to life safety and fire code challenges, these devices also violate the ADA law. There are code- and ADA-compliant solutions that work and are currently in use in most schools. According to the Sandy Hook Commission, there is not one documented instance of an active shooter breaching a locked door. We have additional concerns with many of these devices that interfere with the efforts of emergency responders to quickly and safely reach staff and students during emergencies. At a time when many districts are re-evaluating their security measures and making new investments, it is now more critical than ever to ensure the use of proven, vetted and code-compliant security practices and make the most of limited resources.” — Guy Grace, PASS Chairman

“Door Security and Safety Foundation (DSSF) and Door and Hardware Institute (DHI) thanks Campus Safety Magazine and the Campus Safety Conferences for recognizing the dangerous unintended consequences of installing non-code compliant barricade devices on campus classroom doors. While barricade devices are perceived as providing security, they violate fire and life safety building codes including the Americans with Disabilities Act. DSSF is committed to ensuring that campuses are safe havens for students, faculty, administrators and visitors.” — Jerry Heppes DSSF and DHI CEO

Campuses Must Carefully Select Solutions

The door barricade conundrum highlights the larger issue of how schools, universities and hospitals select the safety and security solutions and policies they implement. It is critical for a college campus, school district or healthcare organization to hire vetted and qualified consultants, systems integrators, engineers and other vendors for guidance on this task.

For the most part (although not always), these professionals should have experience working on your type of campus or organization. For example, a K-12 district should probably consult with an expert in school security. The expert should also have experience in dealing with the particular issue your campus wants addressed. For example, a university wanting to be able to quickly lockdown its classroom doors should consult with a professional who fully understands ADA and NFPA codes.

Additionally, multiple campus stakeholders as well as those in your community should be involved in the decision-making process so one person’s lack of expertise on a particular topic can be addressed by the others. Those stakeholders should include administrators, the C-suite, the superintendent, law enforcement, IT, security system technicians, architects, facilities, fire, emergency management, faculty, clinicians, parents, students (when appropriate) and more.

It’s also important to note that every security and public safety solution and policy — even if it is ADA- and NFPA-code compliant — carries with it some risk. That’s why Campus Safety regularly covers equipment selection, installation, deployment, maintenance, policy and training best practices. We urge all school, university and healthcare facility stakeholders to review this content on CampusSafetyMagazine.com, in our print publication and at our conferences. It is our mission to have every school, university and hospital in America adopt the best solutions possible for their specific situation and campus, install them in the proper locations, support them with the appropriate policies and use them correctly.

We trust that our decision to not accept advertisements or sponsorships from non-ADA and non-NFPA-code compliant door barricade companies will help clear up any confusion surrounding the complex issue of campus lockdowns and active shooter response.

]]>The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission has released an initial draft of its school safety recommendations.

The commission, which was created to investigate the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and make safety recommendations, hosted a two-day meeting this week to discuss the initial report findings with the intention of presenting a final report to the governor and legislative leader by Jan. 1, reports WTXL.

The 407-page report outlines many lapses in school safety and security before, during and after the shooting, which the commission says is typical of many schools nationwide. The report also offers recommendations for various ways the school can improve overall safety.

The commission’s new report further supports these findings, claiming seven other Broward County deputies ignored protocol for active shooters that calls for pursuing a gunman to try to disarm him. Officers also wasted more time scrambling to retrieve bulletproof vests from their vehicles, reports The New York Times.

“None of these BSO deputies immediately responded to the gunshots by entering the campus and seeking out the shooter,” the report said. “Deputy sheriffs who took the time to retrieve vests from containers in their cruisers, removed certain equipment they were wearing so that they could put on their vests, and then replaced the equipment they had removed all while shots were being fired, or had been recently fired, is unacceptable and contrary to accepted protocol.”

Report Criticizes Employees, School Safety Training

The report also blamed school policy and training failures for many of the mistakes made by employees, claiming administrators lacked know-how in conducting threat assessments, did not have an active assailant response policy or a written policy on how to initiate a lockdown, and gave no formal training to campus monitors, according to The Sun Sentinel.

The commission has called on the district to investigate Stoneman Douglas principal Ty Thompson on whether he violated district policy by not ensuring that he knew about all potential threats on campus.

“It’s not part of the protocol to bring [threats] to me,” Thompson said in an interview with the commission. “Very rarely does that come up.”

Thompson was only able to guess the number of official threat assessments the school conducted on students each year and “really had no idea of the process.”

One of the monitors saw the gunman, who he described as “crazy boy,” enter the school. However, he did not issue a “code red,” which would have signaled a threat inside the building and kept students behind locked doors, because he had been trained not to set off a law enforcement response unless he saw a gun or heard gunshots. The other monitor hid in a closet when he heard gunfire.

Report Outlines Physical Security Failures

In addition to safety protocol, the report found many problems in the school’s physical security. The school had no public address system speakers in the hallways, which kept administrators from telling students and staff to seek shelter.

Only two of the 30 classrooms in the building where the shooting occurred had marked “hard corners” where students can’t be seen by an intruder peering through the window of a classroom door. Many of these corners were blocked by furniture and were too small to fit all the students, which the commission says contributed to students being killed.

Classrooms were also not equipped with coverings to block door windows, making students visible to the gunman.

“Cruz only shot people within his line of sight and never entered any classroom,” said the report.

Additionally, campus gates were not staffed by security personnel and the front gate was left open after school had started.

Report Gives Recommendations, Including Arming Teachers

The commission’s report also gives recommendations for improvement, including full internal evaluations of both police and school personnel responses.

The report suggests Broward County law enforcement and fire/EMS agencies establish protocols for a unified command at all mass casualty incidents. It also suggests BSO revise its active assailant policy to make it “unequivocally clear” that deputies are expected to immediately seek out an active assailant.

“We look forward to reviewing the commission’s findings,” read a statement from BSO Sheriff Scott Israel regarding the findings. “We will use it as a basis to conduct our own thorough investigation, and we’ll take appropriate steps to make any necessary improvements.”

As for the school, one recommendation given by the commission is to update processes for handling threat assessments. The forms are on paper and the finished paperwork remains at the school in the student’s record.

Threat assessments “are one of the most important opportunities to provide a safer school environment and head-off concerning behavior before it manifests into actual harm,” the commission reported.

Threat assessments regarding the gunman were mishandled on multiple occasions by several employees. The commission recommends the principal be made aware of all threats.

The report also suggests limiting entry and exit points, restricting visitors during school hours and always keeping classroom doors locked.

Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie sent a follow-up letter to the commission Wednesday detailing steps the district has taken in response to the commission’s findings. Some of the improvements include providing live video feeds from school surveillance cameras to law enforcement and holding “code red” trainings for students and staff. Runcie also added that he will contract with a third-party investigator to “undertake further investigations.”

“The purpose is to both bring appropriate accountability and to improve the quality of educational services in the safest environment possible,” he wrote.

Possibly most controversial of the commission’s recommendations is arming teachers.

On Wednesday, the commission voted 13-1 to recommend the Legislature allow the arming of teachers who volunteer and undergo extensive background checks and training, reports The Chronicle. Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex died in the shooting, cast the one vote against the motion.

“We do need more good guys with a gun on campus — nobody understands that and wishes we had more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas than myself,” Schachter said. But arming teachers “creates a host of problems.”

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the commission’s chairman, said most deaths in school shootings happen within the first few minutes before first responders arrive.

“We have to give people a fighting chance, we have to give them an opportunity to protect themselves,” he said, adding there aren’t enough officers or money to hire one for each school. Even then, they need backup. “One good guy with a gun on campus is not enough.”

]]>It’s that time of year again when college students are just about to go on winter break, and probably the last thing on their minds is campus security. Many are in the process of taking their finals, as well as packing up their belongings to go home for several weeks. Some have chosen to remain on campus during the break.

Although most students are taking a breather, university police and campus security departments must remain vigilant, but how?

How should university public safety officials keep students who chose to stay on campus safe and secure? What information should be communicated to them, particularly international students who often stay on campus over the holidays?

And what about the students who go away? How can the campus keep their vehicles and belongings secure? What can these students do themselves to protect their belongings, even if they live off-campus?

Campus public safety department staffing issues should also be addressed. Most agencies can probably expect fewer radio calls during the holidays, so should a department reduce the number of officers patrolling campus, or should it remain fully staffed? Should a department change its patrol focus, such as ensuring all empty buildings are locked to prevent crimes of opportunity?

Communications and relationships are always key, so should campus public safety departments also partner with campus administrators and student affairs about winter break campus security as well?

Every college campus is unique, so every university’s approach to campus security should be unique as well.

Campus Safety spoke with University of California (USC) Department of Public Safety Chief John Thomas about the various strategies USC takes to keep students and property protected during the holidays. Can your college apply these campus security strategies?

]]>https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/public/maintaining-campus-security-during-winter-break/feed/0Hackers Steal Over $800K From Cape Cod Community Collegehttps://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/hackers-steal-800k-cape-cod-community-college/
https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/hackers-steal-800k-cape-cod-community-college/#respondThu, 13 Dec 2018 20:55:21 +0000http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/?p=60963The bank has been able to get back $278,887 so far after a cyber attack was able to hack the school's banking information.

]]>Cape Cod Community College (known as the Four C’s) fell victim to a cybersecurity attack on campus computers.

Hackers were able to get $807, 130 out of the malware payload designed to steal banking information, reports Softpedia News.

After detecting the initial attack, the college was able to block several other attacks on their network.

Four C’s President John Cox explained how the malware overwrote the college’s bank URL address associated with their account at TD Bank, “creating a fake site that looked and functioned like the financial institution.”

The virus likely got onto the computers from an unsolicited email.

Cox says the hackers were able to get nine fraudulent transfers from the bank directly. They were also able to persuade the bank to clear the transactions over the phone by using social engineering techniques.

]]>https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/hackers-steal-800k-cape-cod-community-college/feed/0Nurse Arrested After Attempting to Steal Drugs From Savannah Hospitalhttps://www.campussafetymagazine.com/hospital/nurse-arrested-stealing-drugs-hospital/
https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/hospital/nurse-arrested-stealing-drugs-hospital/#respondMon, 10 Dec 2018 16:26:44 +0000http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/?p=60666The narcotics team quickly arrested the nurse before she could leave the building with drugs and stolen medical supplies.

“It’s definitely an unusual case. People within the medical profession take a medical oath, just like law enforcement takes a similar oath, and that’s something they should take very seriously,” said Gene Harley with CNT.

Drug abuse amongst nurses can impact patient safety, hospital budgets and a nurse’s career. According to this study from the American Nurses Association, about 10 percent of nurses become dependent on drugs.

That means, out of the almost 3 million registered nurses in the U.S., there are nearly 300,000 nurses who abuse drugs or are addicted to drugs.

Harley says Burke had attempted to take the drugs from a highly secured area of the hospital that has a strict protocol to access, according to WSAV 3.

The drugs taken included Lorazepam, morphine, “as well as some other narcotics that perhaps may not be controlled but still require a prescription.”

“We were able to make contact with her to recover the items that were taken all prior to her leaving that day or leaving the campus and she was arrested there at the hospital,” said Harley.

CNT says video surveillance also played a role in this case and it appears Burke was acting alone.

Burke was charged with multiple felonies including drug charges and theft by taking. She has been released from jail on bond.

]]>An escalating epidemic of active shooter incidents in schools, with events too numerous to list, starting from Columbine CO in 1999, to VA Tech in 2011, Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida mass shootings have culminated to create a watershed moment in our times, whereby public opinion is demanding a solution be found to this accelerating, tragic problem.

Beginning the process of addressing the potential threat of an active shooter at your facility can be overwhelming.

The active shooter threat assessment checklists contain ideas on where to begin your vulnerability analysis. Learn the steps you need to take to prepare yourself in the event of an active shooter situation.

There are four versions of the active shooter threat assessment checklist that we’re making available to you:

University- Type Facilities

K-12 Education Facilities

Hospitals/Healthcare Facilities

Churches/ House of Worship Facilities

Many of the solutions listed here can also help with other security and safety issues your campus or district might be encountering.

]]>Campus Security Pros Brace for the Tariff War: Are You Prepared?https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/technology/tariff-war-campus-security-pros/
https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/technology/tariff-war-campus-security-pros/#commentsFri, 07 Dec 2018 09:00:30 +0000http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/?p=60520If more tariffs on products made in China go into effect this January, the cost of campus security equipment will increase.

]]>Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in CS’ sister publication, CE Pro. Although it was written for the custom electronics industry, the tariffs that are referenced in this story also apply to a significant number of campus security products, such as cameras, DVRs, access control readers, intrusion detection systems and panic alarms, many of which are also made in China.

It’s a nervous time in the industry. Although the economy is strong, increased tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump against China could result in significant cost increases of technology and equipment.

Manufacturers who source products from China have already been hit by tariff increases ranging from 10 percent to 25 percent, but the looming tariff proposed for January 2019 is another knee-buckling 25-percent increase that would hit a much broader swath of Chinese-sourced products.

Vendors are literally “meeting every day” to come up with potential solutions, ranging from negotiating with their contract factories to absorb some of the price increases, to ramping up production through the end of 2018, to moving factories outside of China and petitioning for exemptions with the U.S. government.

For end users, the blow is not quite as hard as it is to manufacturers, but it still could represent a significant portion of your technology and equipment upgrade budget.

Security professionals who are specifying projects for 2019 with 2018 prices could be in for an unpleasant surprise when they are ready to buy the equipment after the new year. For those who do not watch their bottom lines as closely as possible, the tariffs could be costly.

But all of this nervousness could be for naught. The tariff situation is fluid. Trump and his Chinese counterparts could simply be playing an international game of brinksmanship, waiting for the other side to cave in. A resolution ispossible before the new tariff takes effect.

In fact, last weekend, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a successful meeting in which they expressed optimism that the new tariffs won’t be levied after all, reports CNBC. However, if they don’t have a deal in 90 days, the threatened tariffs will be implemented.

No one knows what will happen, but failing to prepare and hoping the whole situation gets swept under the rug is probably not a viable option.

Manufacturers, Associations React

For those not familiar with the situation, over the summer the United States and China engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war with escalating tariffs on various products. Specifically, the third round of tariffs affected $200 billion worth of China-sourced products at a 10 percent duty rate. According to news reports, that tariff affects more than half of all products imported from China. Those same tariffs are set to increase to 25 percent on Jan. 1. Also, President Trump has threatened to add another $267 billion in tariffs.

“There have been three tariff increases for products that we manufacture and sell, and we were hit by all three increases … unfortunately,” says Joe Roberts, executive vice president, products and marketing, at Nortek Security Controls (NSC), which owns its own primary factory in Shenzen, China. “The increases we have been hit with range from 10 percent to 25 percent. The amount is just too large to absorb completely. Our leadership team talks about this every week, without exception. We have reached out to the associations for support to try to get a louder voice than just our business. We have also followed up without our government representative to look for waivers and exemptions on some of the products. Finally, we have looked at other sourcing options, or moving from where we source product to mitigate additional expense.”

So far, the U.S. economy has not winced. But the newly planned tariff hikes are worrying some in the industry, along with investors, as the U.S. stock market is taking some wild swings.

“I don’t understand why the president is trying to put cold water on the hot economy,” says Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). “Ten percent hurts, but 25 percent makes companies reel.”

He admits, “What China has done has certainly not been fair. They have dumped product on the market, stolen intellectual property and other things while we just stood by. The president has stood up, and he was right to do that, but raising tariffs is the wrong way to go.”

Shapiro believes we are repeating history with the proposed new tariffs.

“In 1930, the Smoot-Hawley tariffs created a trade war. No one wins in a trade war,” Shapiro says.

He is referencing the Tariff Act of 1930, which is commonly known as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff. The act implemented protectionist trade policies — raising U.S. tariffs on more than 20,000 imported goods — in an attempt to protect U.S. jobs during the onset of the Great Depression.

The act, however, had a detrimental effect on the U.S. economy due to the retaliatory tariffs enacted by other countries, just as the Great Depression was beginning. According to Wikipedia, “the consensus view among economists and economic historians is that the passage of the Smoot–Hawley Tariff exacerbated the Great Depression.”

Trade associations, such as CEDIA, are also watching the situation closely.

“Many manufacturers in the CEDIA channel use parts from or manufacture products in China, and the current and potential tariffs will hit electronic products,” says Tabatha O’Connor, global president and CEO of CEDIA. “Those increases will be felt along the entire distribution chain.”

She recommends that end users and technology integration firms discuss the potential for price increases due to tariffs. Both should review their proposals and related policy, taking tariffs into consideration.

Meanwhile, manufacturers are also reacting. Some are moving their factories outside of China to places like Taiwan to avoid the tariff, while companies like LG are even opening factories in the United States for their appliances and other products.

One industry expert who just returned from China told me he spoke with one cable manufacturer that planned to manufacture the cable at its factory in China, then ship it to Vietnam, where the cable will be unpacked and relabeled before being shipped to the United States.

U.S.-Based Manufacturers Also Feeling the Pinch

One unintended consequence from the tariff war is the effect on U.S.-based manufacturers. JL Audio in Miramar, Fla., employs 500 people and builds its speakers in America, but it sources many of its components from China.

“I don’t think the intention was to punish companies like us,” says Doug Henderson, senior vice president of home audio at JL Audio. “It’s ironic that U.S. manufacturers are being hit.”

He says the 25-percent tariff increase in January would be “potentially more dire” to the market, but adds, “As long as the market stays strong, it will not be debilitating at any level.”

The company sources its magnets and steel from China. It has already been hit by a six-percent increase, which it absorbed for a while, but the 25-percent hike will be on top of that.

On the flip side, some companies are quick to point out that their products are made 100 percent in the U.S. and are “tariff-free”.

However you slice it, the tariffs can hurt. CE Pro 100 integrator Shawn Hansson of Logic Integration in Lone Tree, Colo., has already done the math for his business. Last year, Logic Integration purchased $2.8 million worth of products at dealer cost.

“Just a five percent increase would cost $140,000 (assuming all the product was affected by the tariffs). That could be almost half of our yearly NET profit,” says Hansson. That cost will most certainly be passed on to end users.

For example, Hansson is already reacting to the surcharges he is getting from vendors. When possible, his company has absorbed some of the price increases, but for proposals out for 2019, the company has added an addendum to all its contracts that states:

“Due to regulatory changes and possible upcoming economic variations in Tariffs, the cost of bulk wire and other parts may increase up to 25% starting Jan 1, 2019. All existing proposals which are not assigned a live PO will be subject to revision and potential increase.”

What’s Next in the Tariff War?

As yet, there has been no exclusion request process set up for the next round of tariffs. CTA signed a broad coalition letter to the administration requesting an exemption process and currently, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) is circulating a sign-on letter for senators to U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, calling for an exclusion process. Senator Toomey is looking for a Democratic co-sponsor of the request.

CTA is encouraging its member companies to contact their senator requesting he or she sign the Toomey exemption letter.

Shapiro adds, “There is definitely reason to question the legality of what the president has done. Suing the government is a real consideration but we haven’t decided to do that. As far as we can find there is only one economist who supports these tariffs, and he just happens to work in the White House.”

Could it get even worse? Yes.

“It is our belief that ‘list four’ [of tariffs] has already been drawn up and tariffs on another $267 billion will essentially hit all product shipped from China,” says Sage Chandler, the CTA’s vice president of international trade.

Jason Knott is Emerald Exposition’s editorial director. He has covered low-voltage electronics as an editor since 1990. He joined EH Publishing (now Emerald Expositions) in 2000, and before that served as publisher and editor of Security Sales, a leading magazine for the security industry. He served as chairman of the Security Industry Association’s Education Committee from 2000-2004 and sat on the board of that association from 1998-2002. He is also a former board member of the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation. He is currently a member of the CEDIA Education Action Team for Electronic Systems Business. Jason graduated from the University of Southern California.

]]>https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/safety/orange-county-schools-security-screening/feed/0Blackboard SafetyList Crisis Management Response Platformhttps://www.campussafetymagazine.com/press-release/blackboard-safetylist-crisis-management-response-platform/
https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/press-release/blackboard-safetylist-crisis-management-response-platform/#respondThu, 29 Nov 2018 20:21:30 +0000http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/?p=60241Blackboard SafetyList will help school district leaders coordinate with those who prepare for and manage safety and security incidents.

]]>Blackboard, an educational technology company, introduces SafetyList, a crisis management response platform that helps school district leaders coordinate internal teams responsible for preparing for and managing safety and security incidents.

Powered by Groupdolists, Blackboard SafetyList turns paper plans into action plans, rapidly mobilizes internal response teams, tracks tasks in real-time, reduces fragmented communications, and records all activity in a real-time audit trail, all to assist school districts with their efforts to ensure that school responders are tightly coordinated, in-sync and accountable.

The tool includes a library of over 45 pre-built crisis response checklists to help coordinate team efforts in an emergency. It also provides a tap to join conference bridge for keeping open lines of communication across an entire campus crisis response team, as well as incident logging for simple, accurate post-incident analysis.

SafetyList is one component of Blackboard’s comprehensive School Safety solution, which also provides physical security and communication solutions to help districts prepare for and effectively manage crisis-based incidents. Easily managed through a web browser application, it offers many technologies designed for school campuses and to aid with quick communication with the broader education community, including:

Camera Surveillance: Equipment districts can use to help them keep track of what’s happening in their schools from one centralized camera monitoring location.

Active Incident Website: School systems can convey the important information their communities need during a crisis through a single crisis website.

Locks & Access Control: Facilitate access for buildings, classes, labs and more with a single click.

Communication Tools: Administrations can share relevant news and timely updates with families and community members through a native branded app and mass notifications.

“Maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for students and staff is a top priority for school district leaders nationwide, but many of them are struggling with how to navigate the complex safety challenges in today’s environment,” said Marc Rubner, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing at Blackboard. “Blackboard is proud to offer robust tools that help school systems use the power of technology to meet these needs. We look forward to working with school districts nationwide to assist them with their safety and security efforts.”